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dad_bro_39's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
booksadoodle's review against another edition
3.0
Does anyone really know their neighbors and the secret lives they lead?! Having read and enjoyed another of her books, I was excited to delve into this new thriller from Karen Cleveland. It does keep you guessing through all the twists and turns, but I did figure this one out about halfway through. Was good and kept my attention the whole way, but wasn’t one of my favorites of hers.
asiabree1's review
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
ashleypd88's review against another edition
3.0
At first, I wasn’t too crazy about this book, but it picked up beautifully! I think the only thing that made me not want to give it 4 stars was the predictability of one of the major plot twists — maybe that’s just me being a well-versed thriller fan. Overall, I thought it was really cool to have an actual former CIA person write this book that so heavily relied on CIA things. It made the story feel a lot more real, and I loved the psychological elements throughout this novel.
themspeterson's review
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
3.5
tatterededges's review against another edition
2.0
It was pretty convoluted.
And I’m just a bit over the whole female character being gaslit by everyone in the book even though there’s absolutely no valid reason for all these people to turn on her, plot line.
And I’m just a bit over the whole female character being gaslit by everyone in the book even though there’s absolutely no valid reason for all these people to turn on her, plot line.
agapsch's review against another edition
3.0
In Karen Cleveland’s The New Neighbor, Beth Bradford is on the precipice of two big life changes: her youngest child leaves for college and as a result of their empty nest, Beth and her husband decide to sell their house. However, Beth quickly learns she has two more changes in store, neither of them voluntary, as her husband asks for a divorce and she is removed from the case she worked on for years. Beth soon becomes suspicious of the woman who bought her house, despite the fact that she mirrors Beth’s previously happily family and fits in with the cul-de-sac neighbors. Throughout this thriller, Beth secretively continues work on the case, which involves an Iranian intelligence agent working within the CIA, and several clues lead her to the neighborhood she just recently left.
The New Neighbor combines two popular thriller subgenres: the spy thriller and the domestic thriller. With tropes from both, including copious amounts of wine from the domestic thriller, and an agent working against their supervisor’s direct orders from the spy thriller, Cleveland concocts a fresh mystery. Unfortunately, I found the characters to fall flat in this book. Ultimately, Beth made for a rather amateur detective, despite her background in the CIA. She worked through every suspect possible, impetuously leaping from one to the next and holding each new suspect against the evidence she had collected for years. There was not much sophistication in her game, which is very similar to how I play Wordle: I simply try on letters until a word is formed, instead of organically coming to the solution. In addition to being a subpar sleuth, I struggled to connect to Beth. I ended up rating this book 3 stars for an intriguing concept and mystery, though it lacked an imaginative protagonist.
Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Ballentine, for the early release copy.
The New Neighbor combines two popular thriller subgenres: the spy thriller and the domestic thriller. With tropes from both, including copious amounts of wine from the domestic thriller, and an agent working against their supervisor’s direct orders from the spy thriller, Cleveland concocts a fresh mystery. Unfortunately, I found the characters to fall flat in this book. Ultimately, Beth made for a rather amateur detective, despite her background in the CIA. She worked through every suspect possible, impetuously leaping from one to the next and holding each new suspect against the evidence she had collected for years. There was not much sophistication in her game, which is very similar to how I play Wordle: I simply try on letters until a word is formed, instead of organically coming to the solution. In addition to being a subpar sleuth, I struggled to connect to Beth. I ended up rating this book 3 stars for an intriguing concept and mystery, though it lacked an imaginative protagonist.
Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Ballentine, for the early release copy.
lindseyslittlelibrary's review against another edition
4.0
Love it when a book surprises me. This one was a totally mystery from beginning to end.
kyvenn's review against another edition
4.0
Okay so, I really enjoyed this book. I was left guessing the entire time, on the edge of my seat! I would lay in bed and say ok one more chapter, ok one more, ok one more. I flew through this book as fast as I could and read it whenever I had a spare moment. I was left guessing the entire time but as time went on I had a feeling it was either Alice or Mike. I was right about Mike, and it made sense as the story went on and everything was explained, BUT, the ending felt a little rushed and I was disappointed. I felt like Madeline and Beth didn’t really get justice on their ends. They both were so similar to me. Losing everything, even living in the same house so I thought that was wild! But I was left wondering at the end because we don’t know what ended up happening between the women. And then to find out Aubrey was the new neighbor? Kind of a shock and a twist, didn’t see it coming, trying to still make sense of it. But Beth did say she was a daddy’s girl. I just wish there was more to the ending, and we got to know more and see if Aubrey ever got caught. All in all, I really enjoyed it, and even I thought Beth was going crazy! I will definitely be buying this book when it comes out in 2022!